The Increase In The Price Of Cigarettes.

by tot707

In a statement on March 28 by The Star, regarding the increase in the price of cigarettes from RM17 to RM21.50 per packet. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya announced that the government will raise the price of cigarettes for their efforts to discourage people from quitting.

Among the brands of cigarettes in Malaysia.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 600,000 people die each year from passive smoking.28% of the victims were children. What is really worrying is that seven out of 10 or 8.6 million adults are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places such as restaurants, cafes, and parks. Meanwhile, four of the 10 or 7.6 million adults encounter secondhand smoke in their own homes.

"Although we have entered into various campaigns, unfortunately we struggled against the odds", he explained.

Anti-smoking campaign undertaken so far by the Government have not really worked in reducing the number of smokers among Malaysians. "For example, we have declared a rest and recreation area will be restricted smoking areas, but there is still people smoke there," he said. The government will also diversify the methods of their anti-smoking campaign by introducing a regular cigarette packaging to make it less attractive. Current cigarette packs in Malaysia have pictorial health warnings are required to cover 50% of the front and 60% of the back of all cigarette packages text. The warning must be in Malay at the front and English on the back. In addition, the government also banned the use of misleading descriptors such as "light", "mild", "low tar", the famous "," rich "," premiums and "Grade A" on the package.

Dr Hilmi said the Tobacco Products and Tobacco Bill will be tabled next year as part of government efforts to control the sale and advertisement of cigarettes. Stressing that the government has spent an average of RM2 million per year since 2004 for the anti-smoking campaign, in a statement, Dr Hilmi that they are looking to use digital platforms and social media channels aiming to prevent people from smoking.

In your opinion, the increase in the price of cigarettes will reduce the number of smokers in Malaysia? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.